Justice Clarence Thomas Recuses Himself in Jan. 6 Case For First Time Ever
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas made the rare decision to recuse himself from a case related to the House Jan. 6 Committee on Monday.
This case marks the first instance of recusal for the embattled justice in a Capitol riot-related matter, amidst increasing public concern over potential ethical conflicts, according to Forbes.
The case in question involved attorney John Eastman, who is closely aligned with former President Donald Trump. Eastman had petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn a lower court’s ruling that granted the House committee access to certain emails he argued were protected by attorney-client privilege. However, the high court declined Eastman’s request to review the case without any recorded dissents.
Thomas did not provide an official explanation for his recusal, a standard practice among justices. However, one prominent factor in the case is that Eastman had previously served as Thomas’s law clerk.
This move comes amid mounting scrutiny directed at Thomas over his involvement in cases related to the Jan. 6 committee, especially given his wife Virginia Thomas‘s association with efforts to contest the 2020 election results. Virginia Thomas’s engagement in activities, including communication with White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows occurred concurrently with Supreme Court cases related to these matters.
Most notably, Thomas did not recuse himself from a January 2022 case that pertained to whether documents from the Trump administration held by the National Archives should be provided to the House Jan. 6 Committee. In that case, he stood alone in dissent as the court rejected the administration’s plea to prevent the documents from being handed over.
The justice’s involvement in a case from December 2020, which aimed to challenge election results in several battleground states, further fueled concerns. While the Court ultimately turned down Texas’s request to take up the case, Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented.
Moreover, Thomas has faced controversy over accepting gifts from affluent Republican political donors. He has reportedly received expensive vacations, private jet and yacht rides, and significant private school tuition payments for family members from wealthy conservative businessman Harlan Crow, who has made substantial political contributions aimed at influencing the Supreme Court.
Thomas has argued that these gifts did not violate ethical guidelines, as they fell within an exception for personal hospitality from close friends.
Nonetheless, experts have contested this interpretation. ProPublica unveiled that Justice Thomas also accepted at least 38 additional extravagantly costly vacation packages from three other billionaire donors, none of which were disclosed on his mandated financial disclosures.
Furthermore, it was revealed in September that Thomas had secretly participated in fundraiser events for the Koch network, a right-wing political organization founded by billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch.
The nexus between Thomas’s legal decisions, his wife’s political involvement, and his connections to affluent political donors has raised concerns about potential ethical conflicts and their impact on the integrity of the Supreme Court.
Oct 3 (Reuters) – More than 60 Jamaican primary school kids were hospitalized after eating potent rainbow-colored cannabis candy, the Caribbean country’s education minister said on social media platform X, causing them to vomit and hallucinate.
“I feel confident that together we will strengthen our safety and security regime to combat the unconscionable sale of marijuana infused products to children,” Fayval Williams said on Tuesday, noting the “most unfortunate” circumstances under which she met parents and stakeholders of Ocho Rios Primary School.
Late on Monday, Williams had shared an image she said had been reported to her ministry showing a colorful packet of “full throttle rainbow sour belts,” each containing 100 milligrams of THC – considered a strong dose for experienced adults.
“One little boy said he only had one sweetie,” Williams said, adding several of the school children had been given intravenous drips to speed up recovery. “That’s how potent this product is.”
Jamaica decriminalized possession of up to 2 ounces (57 grams) of marijuana for religious, medicinal and scientific purposes in 2015, and set up a licensing agency for the country’s legal medical cannabis industry.
Radio Jamaica reported that the Ganja Growers and Producers Association of Jamaica was suggesting a public education program for responsible consumption by adults and to prevent consumption by children, as well as pushing for more packaging regulations.
Oct. 3 (REUTERS) – Netflix (NFLX.O) is planning to raise the price of its ad-free service after the ongoing Hollywood actors’ strike ends, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, sending the streaming company’s shares up more than 3%.
Netflix is discussing raising prices in several markets globally, but will likely begin with the United States and Canada, the WSJ reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
It was not immediately clear how much Netflix will raise prices by or when exactly the new prices will take effect, according to the report.
Netflix declined to comment on the report.
Talks between the SAG-AFTRA actors’ union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents the studios, are ongoing, with their next meeting scheduled on Wednesday.
The writers’ union struck a tentative deal with the AMPTP last week after five months of failed negotiations.
Netflix cut prices of its subscription plans in some countries in February. In the same month, it laid out a plan to crack down on password sharing by subscribers that was rolled out in over 100 countries in May.
Reporting by Yuvraj Malik in Bengaluru; editing by Anil D’Silva
Rachel Spivey, Founder Of Google’s Stay And Thrive, Opens Up About Her Self-Starting Journey
At BLACK ENTERPRISE‘s Women of Power Tech, Rachel Spivey, director of Stay and Thrive (Retention and Progression) at Google, shared with an ambitious audience that her 13-year journey was a slow, steep climb with twists and turns. But she channeled her passions and allowed them to speak for the leader within her.
On Sept. 27, the pioneering Googler dedicated her morning on the technology giant’s 25th anniversary to grace us with the space and opportunity at the inaugural in-person tech conference for women. She led us on a wild, self-starting exploration of her career at the place where she’d grown from an L2 employee to founding the retention and progression program. BE Deputy Digital Editor Selena Hill moderated the captivating conversation.
Spivey admitted to the audience that she wasn’t happy during her first five years at Google. “What lifted me up is that I had a couple of people pour into me at the right moment,” she said, adding that “finding your people and your place soon” is vital for your mental health.
Since then, Spivey has walked in her power, using her voice for passionate change and empowering all Googlers and women in tech to stay and thrive. Today, she oversees her department to ensure retention and progression rates are at parity across the company.
When there is passion, promotions come later.
“I always had a voice,” Spivey recalled about the lessons she had learned from navigating her first-ever corporate culture. “Once I learned how to combine my voice with the right moment, things really took off.”
She continued: “I did stop chasing promotions a long time ago, and they started following me.”
A pivotal moment for Spivey occurred in 2013 when Trayvon Martin’s shooter, George Zimmerman, was found not guilty of second-degree murder and acquitted of manslaughter. “I decided I wanted to do something,” she said. She leveraged her resources to spearhead a “hoodie march” during Google’s all-hands meeting on its TGIF stage. This solidarity moment sparked Google’s investment in racial justice efforts.
As Google began to increase HBCU engagement, Spivey, a proud Hamptonian, found her lane by following her desire to share a unique perspective as a marketing student at Hampton University. She devoted the last 11 years to the diversity team, which would propel her journey to help underrepresented Googlers and beyond find their happy place.
From working with challenging peers and partners to speaking up in meetings, Spivey acknowledged that one of her biggest challenges is how people respond to her. “I find that just creating a personal connection with them and trying to also understand the climate around them” is useful, she said. “Instead of backing away, I lean in.”
As a Black director, Spivey was proud to announce that her powerhouse team of people of color makes a difference in progression. Google is now standing at an average of 86% retention rate.
“Over time, we see that it really makes a difference in terms of representation, not just to bring people in but to make sure that they’re staying,” Spivey said. “We stay with them until it is resolved.”
Why does it matter? Generational wealth matters.
“The Google stocks that I have been granted have not only changed my life. It’s changed my immediate family’s life. It’s changed my extended family’s life,” she explained. “And we get to help Googlers stay and start creating generational wealth.”
First U.S. Black Franchise Symposium And Trade Show Debuts In Plano, TX
On Sept. 15, Tarji Carter, founder and president of The Franchise Player, a firm created to increase franchise ownership and wealth across the African American community, spearheaded The Franchise Game, becoming the first U.S. Black franchise symposium and trade show.
The Franchise Player’s Tarji Carter (right) and Shawn Caric, VP of franchise development for Smoothie King
Carter created the event alongside marketing expert Dessie Brown, Jr., head of digital programming at Genius Entertainment, a Marsai Martin company. and
The event, fueled by JET magazine, took place at Yum! Brands’ corporate campus in Plano, Texas, featuring sessions from franchisees, lawyers, business development officers, and operation managers. The symposium brought together experts and industry leaders to discuss the secrets to success, challenges, and opportunities in franchising. The theme for the inaugural event was “Doing the Work!”
Damon Dunn, former NFL player and multiunit franchisee, Dunkin’ Brands
The day kicked off with a keynote address from Damon Dunn (a former NFL player who now has 40 Dunkin’ Brands franchises across the United States and is establishing a private equity fund to help minority franchisees expand their businesses), followed by an explosive lineup of panel discussions led by franchise subject matter experts including Mike Quinn (franchisee, Pizza Hut), Tim Williams (director of operations, Williams Chicken), James Fripp (chief equity, inclusion and belonging officer, Yum! Brands), Delmas Arthur (operations manager, Dunkin’ Brands, Starbucks, Five Guys, McDonald’s, and Hardee’s), and Carter herself on behalf of The Franchise Player.
Sessions included “A Day in the Life of a Franchisee,” where attendees learned from some of the industry’s best multiunit franchisees; “Talk to My Attorney!”, providing tips about the legal rights and responsibilities of franchise attorneys; “Bag Secured,” designed to address the bottlenecks of business ownership; “Operational Excellence,” showing attendees how to grow from an owner-operator to owning a large enterprise; and “How to Get Started and Approved,” the official guide to franchise ownership.
Adrian Archie, CEO of petNmind, the first Black franchisor in the pet industry
“With this event, we attracted multiunit franchisees, owner/operators, potential investors, athletes, entertainers, and industry influencers,” said Carter, who has worked with some of the world’s most delicious brands including Cinnabon, Carvel, Baskin Robbins, Dunkin’, Wingstop, Edible Arrangements, Fuddruckers, and Bojangles. “Moving forward, we are looking to increase franchise ownership and wealth across the African American community by providing education, resources, and opportunities to aspiring franchisees and small business owners. We believe successful franchise ownership can serve as a low-risk vehicle for creating wealth for Black and other marginalized groups in America.”
Black Franchise Symposium Exhibit Hall, Plano, TXBlack Franchise Symposium Exhibit Hall, Plano, TX
2023 was the inaugural event for The Franchise Player. Carter is already planning next year’s event at the same location, along with other events catering to African American franchisees throughout the year. To stay informed about these events, follow The Franchise Game on LinkedIn and on Instagram.
Tim Scott Visits Eric Johnson In A Show Of Support After His Party Swap In September
Tim Scott came to Dallas to visit the newest member of the Republican Party, Eric Johnson, on Oct. 3. As reported, Johnson flipped his party allegiance from Democratic to Republican in an open letter, calling for more Republican mayors nationwide. According to The Dallas Express, Scott is enthusiastic about what the mayor of Dallas represents for the Republican Party.
“The Republican Party is the Grand Opportunity Party,” Scott said.
“Common sense values — lower taxes, safer communities, and empowered parents and families are what we are about. These are American values, and we are happy to have Mayor Johnson.”
Johnson, for his part, reciprocated the support in a statement he posted on his X account:
“I’m looking forward to meeting Sen. Tim Scott during his visit to Dallas and showcasing our city’s successful efforts to lower violent crime. As I’ve previously stated, I don’t endorse candidates in partisan elections as mayor, but I certainly endorse Senator Scott’s interest in the Dallas Miracle.”
I'm looking forward to meeting @SenatorTimScott during his visit to Dallas and showcasing our city’s successful efforts to lower violent crime. As I've previously stated, I don’t endorse candidates in partisan elections as mayor, but I certainly endorse Senator Scott’s interest…
I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Senator @votetimscott this morning. We agreed on the need for more fiscally conservative, pro-public safety Republican leadership in America’s cities and the lingering negative effects of the radical left-led “Defund the Police” movement. I… pic.twitter.com/g94z3pvJcr
One of Sen. Tim Scott’s first post-debate agenda items: a meeting with Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, who made headlines last month after switching parties to become a Republican despite serving in a non-partisan position. pic.twitter.com/lUwym7fW1f
Since Johnson switched parties, a movement to have him recalled is slowly building. The Dallas Democratic Party called for the mayor to resign, launching a petition to achieve that goal. Thirty-three-year-old Kardal Coleman, who is at once the youngest party chair in Dallas and the first Black chairman of the Dallas County Democrats, told the Dallas Morning News what drove him to seek Johnson’s resignation.
“Dallas voters are frustrated; they feel deceived and feel they have been defrauded,” Coleman said. “We’re creating a space for Dallas voters to be heard.”
Dallas’s city offices, like the position of mayor, are nonpartisan by design, so candidates run without having to declare their party affiliation. According to the National League of Cities, those who support nonpartisan elections believe that it fosters communication between members of different parties and that ultimately political affiliation is irrelevant to whether or not an elected official can serve a populace. Dallas is the only major city in Texas with nonpartisan elections; Houston, Austin, and San Antonio all practice partisan elections for its municipal elections.
In their petition, the Dallas County Democrats wrote, “He knowingly portrayed himself as a lifelong Democratic voter and representative throughout his re-election campaign for mayor. Now, less than four months after being re-elected to his final term in office, he has declared that he will govern the city as a Republican. This switch is the launch of a selfish and cynical strategy to get his next job at the expense of his current job, the one Dallas voters elected him to do. He is putting politics and his resume ahead of the people.”
Jerry Hawkins, director of Dallas Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation, told Texas Public Radio that Johnson’s jump to the right should be a wake-up call to Dallas voters to be more engaged about who they vote for.
“He has been spewing right-wing catchphrases and conservative policies since 2020, and I have been ringing the alarm,” Hawkins said.
“He has betrayed every Democratic voter that cast a vote for him, including me. … I hope this is a wake-up to City of Dallas voters to be more vigilant and to be more engaged.”
New Study Warns Parents That Verbal Abuse May Be As Detrimental To Children As Physical, Sexual Abuse
A new study may have parents thinking twice before they sound off at their kids.
The study, published in Child Abuse & Neglect, informed people of the implications of verbally threatening children. Researchers found verbal threats may be as detrimental as sexual or physical abuse to a developing child.
Words Matter, a British charity that seeks to improve children’s health by ending verbal abuse, commissioned the research. Researchers at Wingate University in North Carolina and University College London conducted the study. The literature review analyzed 166 articles to support the claims regarding the effects of verbal abuse on a child’s development.
According to the study, there are four categories of child maltreatment: physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, as well as neglect. Verbal abuse, which includes shouting, yelling, and verbal threats, falls within the scope of emotional abuse. In the study, child abuse was placed in its own category. Of all the other forms of emotional abuse, such as silent treatment, indifference, and observing domestic violence, verbal abuse was classified as a more “overt” form that “warrants special attention.”
“Childhood verbal abuse desperately needs to be acknowledged as an abuse subtype because of the lifelong negative consequences,” said Professor Shanta Dube, the study’s lead author and director of the Master of Public Health Program at Wingate University, CNN reported.
The study assessed the various effects of shouting by authority figures on children. Researchers examined shouting from parents, teachers, and coaches, concluding that these effects on children may display as depression, anger, committing crimes, substance use, or committing abuse. It may also result in detrimental health outcomes such as developing obesity or lung disease.
The founder of Words Matter, Jessica Bondy, emphasized the need to understand “the true scale and impact of childhood verbal abuse.”
“All adults get overloaded sometimes and say things unintentionally,” Bondy said. “We have to work collectively to devise ways to recognize these actions and end childhood verbal abuse by adults so children can flourish.”
According to the new research, there appears to be a shift in childhood abuse. The research cites sources such as the World Health Organization 2014 and four more studies to show that childhood emotional abuse has increased, while there’s been a decrease in physical and sexual abuse. In 2019, Elizabeth Gershoff, a professor of human development and family sciences at the University of Texas at Austin who also researches parent discipline, discussed the importance of avoiding critiques when yelling. She also encouraged parents to consider who they are yelling at. Toddlers may sense frustration and not the meaning of the yell, while an older child will have a different interpretation and response.
The Words Matter site provides resources to motivate parents to consider the words they use before expressing them to their child and on how to mend the relationship with their child if a hurtful comment has been made. The website also seeks to help parents stop using insults and name-calling.
Issa Rae Takes Miami, Named Creative Director For 2024 American Black Film Festival
Issa Rae‘s success in film and television has garnered her the role of creative director for the 2024 American Black Film Festival (ABFF).
The announcement was made Oct. 2, ahead of the annual film festival taking place June 12-16, 2024, in Miami Beach. Rae will work closely with ABFF founders Jeff and Nicole Friday to program the lineup for the festival’s 28th edition, Variety reports.
The “Insecure” creator is “honored” to team up with the Fridays as a partner years after using the festival to introduce her own early work.
“As one of the first major festivals to showcase my work, ABFF continues to elevate Black creatives from the ground up, and I’m excited to join its co-founders and producers, Nicole and Jeff Friday, in that mission,” Rae said.
The feeling is mutual for the Fridays, who have watched Rae’s rise in media over the years and applaud her continued advocacy for Black creatives in the field.
“Throughout the course of her career, Issa Rae has made an indelible impact within the entertainment ecosystem ranging from her wide array of roles — in front of and behind the camera — to her fierce advocacy for equitable representation and opportunities for Black creatives,” Nicole and Jeff Friday said in a statement.
“We couldn’t think of a better partner to help us continue to embody the ABFF mission of showcasing Black talent — and discovering and amplifying new voices.”
Rae’s return to ABFF comes two years after she served as the festival’s ambassador in 2022 and previewed her Max series “Rap Sh!t,” which returns to HBO in November following a delay due to the writers’ and actors’ strike.
“There’s no other festival highlighting us in this way, highlighting our film, highlighting our television shows, and it’s in an elegant way,” Rae said of ABFF in 2022. “That’s what I admire so much about this particular festival — it’s so intentional.”
In the footage, Woods has a bloody face, swollen eyes, and a cut on his lip. As the video made the rounds on social media, outrage spread as the view count rose, and the Woods family retained civil rights attorney Harry Daniels to represent them.
Daniels released a statement condemning the actions of the officers, saying, “If this video of the officers repeatedly assaulting Le’Keian, slamming his head in the ground and tossing him around like a ragdoll while he’s handcuffed and defenseless isn’t enough to convince you that these officers need to be off the street, just look at Le’Keian’s face. He looks like he just went 12 rounds with a professional boxer.”
A bystander captured a HORRIFIC video of Jacksonville Sheriffs officers detaining a swollen, bloodied, and handcuffed 24-yo Le’Keian Woods. This community and his family deserve a thorough investigation into this encounter that landed Woods in the hospital! pic.twitter.com/5SmWLvqtvC
Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said in a press conference that the force used by his officers was appropriate even though it looked alarming. “There was force used by arresting officers, and yes, that force is ugly. But the reality is that all force, all violence is ugly,” Waters said.
“But just because force is ugly does not mean it is unlawful or contrary to [agency] policy.” Waters then said that the officers remain on the street, “where they belong.”
In response to Waters’ assertion, Daniels told ABC News: “It’s unfortunate that the sheriff believes the beating of an unarmed man is justified,” adding, “It is obvious that he is complicit and an enabler of clear misconduct by his officers. It is not surprising that [the sheriff’s office] didn’t find any misconduct, because they investigate themselves.”
The incident once again draws attention to the fact that Black people’s negative experiences with law enforcement begin with a traffic stop. A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences set forth that, over 577 routine traffic stops, the first few minutes of a stop dictates how the encounter will go. Essentially, if an officer opens up the encounter by issuing orders instead of explaining the reason for the stop, then the officer is going to escalate or make the encounter worse for the person who has been stopped.
The group that conducted the study also analyzed the first 27 seconds of George Floyd‘s encounter with the police in Minneapolis and found that even though Floyd was compliant, he only received commands and not answers to his questions. Jennifer Eberhardt, a social psychologist at Stanford University, told NPR, “We analyzed the first 27 seconds of Floyd’s encounter with police on that day. And we found that Floyd apologizes to the officers who stand outside his car window, Floyd requests the reason for the stop, he pleads, he explains, he follows orders, he expresses fear. Yet every response to Floyd is an order.”
In the one-month study, the town that the group studied found that officers pulled over Black drivers 577 times but only pulled white drivers over 262 times, underscoring the racial disparities in how Black people are policed.
Michael Jordan In ‘Rare Air’ As He Notches A Spot On The Forbes 400 List With $3B Net Worth
Considered by sports enthusiasts to be the greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan now finds himself in rare air on the Forbes 400 list of the country’s wealthiest people, with a reported net worth of $3 billion.
Following the billion-dollar sale of his majority stake in his NBA franchise, the Charlotte Hornets, and further building on his untouchable Jordan Brand empire, the 6-foot-6 former shooting guard from North Carolina is now the first athlete to be named one of America’s wealthiest, as reported by Forbes.
“Michael’s one of the few people that have had success three times,” said Ted Leonsis, the Washington Wizards, Mystics, and Capitals owner who has partnered with Jordan on several endeavors.
“A lot of entrepreneurs, they make it once. They have a big win, take their winnings, retire, and [we] never hear from them again, or they try something a second time and it doesn’t work. He’s had three mega successes.”
Jordan’s good fortune began with his God-like dominance of the NBA, for which he was the highest-paid player in 1997 and 1998, earning $94 million across 15 seasons. However, his one-of-a-kind relationship with Nike truly etched him into the financial Mount Rushmore of sports talent. The six-time NBA champion most recently received $260 million in royalties from the athletic brand, as reported by Forbes. The Jordan Brand has continued to dominate sales for Nike via re-releases of some of the former player’s most beloved sneakers, with a reported wholesale revenue of $6.6 billion annually.
To date, only three former or active athletes have achieved billionaire status: Jordan, LeBron James, and Tiger Woods. However, James and Woods have not yet cracked the Forbes 400 list.
Though Jordan has stepped away from his majority ownership role with the Charlotte Hornets, he still holds a small stake in the team. He also cofounded NASCAR Cup Series team 23XI Racing in 2020.
